Let Jesus Take It Over

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 15:45-63.  Let’s go!

Joshua 15:45-63 (NIV) 
45  Ekron, with its surrounding settlements and villages;
46  west of Ekron, all that were in the vicinity of Ashdod, together with their villages;
47  Ashdod, its surrounding settlements and villages; and Gaza, its settlements and villages, as far as the Wadi of Egypt and the coastline of the Great Sea.
48  In the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
49  Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir),

On verses 45-63:  These verses conclude the list of towns and villages given to the tribe of Judah.  When I read this list the following things jump out at me:

1.     Ekron, Ashdod and Gaza (v45-47) were all cities occupied by the Philistines (see Joshua 13;3), but they are allotted here to Judah.  Judah would need to go in and take over these cities.

2.     Jerusalem was one of the cities that was allotted to Judah.  But notice what  verse 63 says: “Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.” 

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為什麼信耶穌得救?

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約翰福音14章6節     耶穌說：「我就是道路、真理、生命。若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去。」

如果我今天到你家去，你說：「來來來，請你喝一杯茶。」我說：「不不不，我不喝」「你不喝茶，那我拿杯咖啡來請你喝」「不不不，我也不喝咖啡」「那請你喝柳丁汁」「不不不」你給我喝什麼，我都：「不不不」。後來你想：什麼都不要，水也不要，牛奶不要，柳丁汁也不要。你就說：「請你喝燕窩」我說：「這我也不要」。你心裡會想：「這人到底怎麼回事？」我若說：「你的東西都有毒。你的柳丁汁有毒，你的椰漿有毒，你的蘋果汁有毒，你的燕窩有毒，你的咖啡也有毒。」這個時候你就不再對我客氣了。剛才還客氣地說：「請喝，請喝」，現在則拍桌子怒吼：「你給我滾！你怎麼可以侮辱我，以為我給你的都有毒！你這樣侮辱我，現在我不要接待你，你給我走！」

為什麼我這樣作是得罪你呢？因為我曲解你善良的心意，拒絕你對我的好意，用不信的態度去對待你給我的東西。不信基督的人犯了最大的罪，因為他把上帝在基督裡的救恩，當作是上帝惡意對待他而不相信祂。所以不信基督不是小事情，不信基督是最大的罪，因為你用不信拒絕祂的時候，你就是侮辱祂，以為祂用惡意對待你。上帝差遣祂的兒子到世界上來是要拯救世人，擔當人的罪惡。這從天上到世界上來偉大的愛，最大的犧牲，你不信祂，你的不信就變成你最大的罪。最大的罪不是犯姦淫。一個犯姦淫的人悔改的時候，上帝還可以赦免他。最大的罪不是殺人。一個殺人放火的人，當他謙卑在上帝面前哀哭痛苦求赦免的時候，上帝的恩典還可以臨到他。但一個拒絕耶穌基督的人，他犯了最大的罪，因為他不信上帝兒子、上帝獨生子的名。這是聖經清楚的教導。

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Known By What He Did

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 15:20-44.  Let’s go!

Joshua 15:20-44 (NIV) 
20  This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan: 
21  The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the boundary of Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 
22  Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 
23  Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 
24  Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, ……

On verses 20-44:  Here we start to get a list of the towns and villages that were included in the southlands and western foothills given to the tribe of Judah.   While some of these towns are only ever mentioned here in Joshua 15 and not anywhere else in the Bible, other towns would become famous because of what David would later do in these towns.  For example, when King Saul was on a hunt to kill David, David went into hiding in the Desert of Ziph (v24; see 1 Samuel 23:14).  When running away from Saul, David found favour with the Philistines and was given control of the town of Ziklag (v31), which at the time was under Philistine control (1 Samuel 27:6).   When Keilah (v44) was under attack by the Philistines, David inquired of the Lord and then went with his men to rescue Keilah (1 Samuel 23:1-5).

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